![Brazil, Priests and the Focolare]()
10 Nov 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
“Just as the stars become brighter in the darkness of a desert, so too in our heavenly path Mary shines with Heavenly strength as the Star of the New Evangelization. . . It is she who guides us along the way.” And this message that was given by the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization was the experience of the more than eighty priests and deacons who gathered from different regions of Brazil at the Focolare’s Mariapolis town near to Sao Paulo.
“Mary, “transparency of God, model of pastoral fruitfulness, light for the mission” was the central theme of the congress promoted by the priests sector of the Focolare Movement in Brazil, as a contribution from the charism of unity to the ‘marian priesthood’ that embodies the priestly lifestyle that was inaugurated by the Second Vatican Council for the times in which the Church now lives.
Outlining Mary’s influence on the priesthood, Bishop Francesco Biasin of Barra do Pirai-Volta Redondo, Brazil, spoke of service as “the main promoter” of Gospel brotherhood as a way of life that “does not create relationships of submission but of collaboration and co-responsibility.” This is a lifestyle that aims at laying bridges everywhere, one that is also characterized by personal experiences: “The people have wisdom. We must together listen to the Spirit and not remain closed in our own programming.”
Theologian Sandra Ferreira Ribeiro recalled the new Marialogical formulation given by the Council, and she outlined a few sections from the story of the Focolare Movement, “born with the Gospel in hand, from which a spirituality of unity has blossomed bringing new and original elements to Mariaology, opening a new passageway in ecumenical dialogue as well.” “People today want to see and experience Jesus, to touch the mystery of God, to feel his presence with the senses of the soul. Jesus who makes himself present in fraternal communion makes the fruits of the Spirit to be experienced by those who encounter him: peace, light, love, strength,” affirmed Father Antonio Capelesso who is in charge of the school for priests and seminarians at Mariapolis, during his rich presentation on the connection between “this presence of Jesus in the community and the ecclesiology of Second Vatican Council.”
This experience became tangible during the congress for seminarians and priests, because of the intense communion between priests and laity. It was the dominant note that also enlivened theological understanding, the sharing of experiences between priests, families and youths, artistic pieces, a visit to some concretizations of this spirituality in the fields of economy and cultural workshops that are part of the Mariapolis.
Mary, “all clothed with the Word” appeared as the model of the priestly life. Her life in many of its aspects, as it was deepened and shared in during course of the congress prepared them for a better understanding of that vision of the Church which was outlined by theologian Urs von Balthasar and often recalled by Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI: the co-essentiality that exists between the Marian and Petrine-institutional profiles of the Church, and it also uncovered some of its concrete implications.
Sources:
Radio Vaticana – RG from 1 November 2012
New Office, Mariapoli Ginetta
![Brazil, Priests and the Focolare]()
9 Nov 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
On 8 November 2012, members of Reformed and Free Churches, Methodists and Catholics, ecumenical personalities, pastors, priests, pastoral assistants and members of several movements from the different linguistic regions of Switzerland – 250 people beyond what was expected – crowded into a hall at the Kreuz Hotel in Berne. They had come to attend an ecumenical symposium organized by the Focolare Movement entitled “Ecumenism: Where is it going?” The speakers were three special guests: a Cardinal, a lay woman and a Reformed pastor. They were Swiss Cardinal Koch who came from the Vatican and is now president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity; the president of the Federation of the Protestant Churches of Switzerland, Gottfried Locher and, to do the honours, Maria Voce, president of the Focolare Movement. In their presentations the speakers explored various aspects of the ecumenical process with a strong common belief that the ecumenical process is by now irreversable indispensable despite the signs of fatigue that sometimes characterize it and make it seem like a mission impossible. “As long as we fight for unity,” the future president of the work Community of Christian Churches in Switzerland, Rita Famos, affirmed, “we are on the right path. It means that we haven’t laid down our arms. Today we want to stimulate dialogue between those who dream with hope and those who struggle for unity.” In fact, one of the “dangers” in the ecumenical journey is that of “getting used to the differences in thinking, and imagining that we are just fine without the other Church,” Locher warned. Maybe “we got comfortable,” we no longer find the “division to be scandalous.” Hence his call to “construct unity wherever it is now possible,” to step out of the Cantonal Reformed Churches that are often very independant from one another, in order to find more communion and a common voice, a common message of the Swiss Reformed Church in these important times. He gave strong and constant reminders of the transforming power of the Word. 
Many were involved in this process that saw moments of enthusiasm and moments of stalling. Among them the Pope, as Cardinal Koch recalled when he pointed to the ecumenical passion that led the John XXIII to create the Secretariat for the Promotion of Christian Unity in 1960. This institutite over which Koch presides also witnessed how close Paul VI was to the Orthodox world of Constantinople and the cancellation of the mutual anathemas that had “expelled the poison of excommunication” after 900 years. It also also brought Paul VI to meet with Anglican Primate Ramsey. Then there was John Paul II with his concrete acts of ecumenism, until Benedict XVI who in his first message stated his desire to work with all of his strength for the unity of Christians. But there is not only the ecumenism promoted by Church leaders, nor even the ecumenism that is brought forward by theologians. There is also a vital ecumenism based on an ecumenism of life, an ecumenism of people. And this is the ecumenism that Maria Voce spoke about. She recounted the experience of adults and children from different countries who have discovered the main points of Focolare spirituality to be very ecumenical when they lived it, especially for the accent it places on the Word, faith in Jesus’ promise to be there “wherever two or more are united” in His Name (Mt. 18:20), love for Jesus Crucified and Abandoned, who is the symbol of every disunity. And this spirituality has opened fields of dialogue among Christians of different Churches (350 at the moment) who find in one point after another reflections of their own creeds. “It is an ecumenism from below that is not opposed to the one above. It is a kind of dialogue that can serve as the humus, upon which the other dialogues can blossom and develop,” the president of the Focolare affirmed. 
There are already many types of dialogue that already exist among Churches,on different levels and reaching different levels. And the difficulties that are never lacking often make the goal of Jesus’ Testament seem a faraway dream. At times lose the trail, we drift apart rather than draw closer together. It was recalled in the hall that in his prayer, Jesus did not command unity. He asked it of the Father. What we Christians are called to do, therefore, is to collaborate with patience and fervour, but unity is a gift of God that we must pray for together. Just as we must feel the pain of our division together, acknowledge the fault of our disunity together, so too must we work together so that “all may be one.” An evermore secularized society requires the witness and the commitment of a united Christianity. This is also something we all agree on. By Aurora Nicosia (Source: Città Nuova online)
![Brazil, Priests and the Focolare]()
9 Nov 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
After Hurricane Sandy passed over the eastern side of the island, they wrote from Havana: “The city of Santiago and the surrounding areas were hit strongly. It was expected to be a tropical storm but in a few hours it turned into a category 3 hurricane. The worst situations involved the destruction of homes and farmlands.”
According to government sources, at first count 15,392 homes have been totally destroyed and 36,544 partially destroyed. This does not include the number of hospitals, schools, churches and other public infrastructure. The damages caused by the hurricane have comprimised already comprimised housing situations.
The situation is quite difficult. There is a scarcity of food supplies and reconstruction materials. After a week, the electricity has been restored.
The Focolare community – especially young people and teenagers – have been very actively involved in providing help, unblocking the roads and repairing damaged buildings in the quarters. They are preparing meals for the poor in local parishes.
They write: “A group from Havana travelled right away with a van full of food supplies and basic supplies, but especially to be with the people and share their pain and suffering, trying to help in any way they could. We brought the supplies into their homes, and the people couldn’t find enough words to thank us! Everything arrived at just the right moment. In one family there was no more salt, in another no candles or matchsticks. Others hadn’t eaten in days. . . Above all, we brought comfort and support from the Movement around the world. Our own city was devsastated, but, nevertheless, the mutual love among us grew stronger and the sense of brotherhood towards all helps us in not being defeated by the sadness.”
The Focolare NGO (Azione per un Mondo Unito), supports several micro-businesses in Cuba with future development prospects. Moreover it has offered help in repairing damages caused by previous hurricanes. A pilot project is presently underway that would involve similar future projects on a vaster scale.
______________________________________
To know more or to support the project:
AMU (Action for a United World) – http://www.amu-it.eu
Associazione Azione per un Mondo Unito
c/- Banca Popolare Etica (Rome Branch)
IBAN: IT16G0501803200000000120434
SWIFT/BIC CCRTIT2184D
Description: “Progetto: La mia casa è la tua casa”
![Brazil, Priests and the Focolare]()
8 Nov 2012 | Focolare Worldwide, Senza categoria
Children listen wide-eyed to Pietro’s explanation. For them it is a school day in a classroom without desks or other learning aids, and the teaching is done primarily by nature itself. Lots of schoolchildren pass through the farm Fattoria Loppiano Prima, where people learn to cultivate their love for plants and animals.
Pietro Isolan is a young qualified farming expert, who for 18 years has worked hard at the farm in Loppiano: ‘It was also as a result of the economic crisis that we were forced to come up with new ideas to keep the business going. One of these was the “teaching farm”, a project for children and students at technical and professional colleges. It was to be an open-air workshop, with space allocated to rearing animals and a market garden. The objective was to give a hands-on experience of a production method where you would get to know the different kinds of animals and vegetables, and where we offer our experience centred on respect for human persons and for the environment.
The curriculum is made up of various modules that can be adapted to the needs of schools and that allow students to come in stages throughout the year.
The foundation of this new development was a personal experience that Pietro shared with other colleagues on the farm, turning a possible difficulty into a strong point for everyone: ‘After many years of work and following a personal and spiritual crisis, I realized that I had an experience I could offer, but that I had some things still to learn. And perhaps, if push came to shove, I would not have been able to support my family.
Pietro tells of a profound personal journal in relationship with nature seen as the manifestation of God’s creativity. It was a spiritual search that led him to understand more of the secrets of “permaculture” (sustainable use of the environment) and of various techniques seeking to optimize agricultural production while conserving the ecosystem. This sustainable agriculture is in keeping with the production philosophy of the farm, which has always been attentive to these kinds of values: ‘We created a market garden that was completely sustainable and which enriched the agricultural ecosystem. We planted and tended it together with the children who visited during those early years. Nowadays we grow seasonal vegetables and rear poultry.”
This latest development of the farm at Loppiano is a further demonstration of the common spirit animating every step of the way: trying to build relationships of fraternity, genuine relationships for people and for the environment. Pietro concludes, ‘In fact I’m convinced that, as everything is connected in nature, also in relationships between individuals, and in relationships between institutions, it is possible to generate synergies and links that increase exponentially both efficiency and the spread of good practice. At the end of the day I have to say I’ve experienced at first hand an expression that I read a while back and that really struck me: “Your true work is to create beauty, your true social action is to create awareness.” ’
Compiled by Paolo Balduzzi
7 Nov 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
“I lost my Mother, my uncle and his wife at the beginning of the war in 1993. All three of them were murdered by some people from our own quarter, people whom we knew well. Then Father took our orphaned cousins to live with us. There were fourteen of us altogether and Father never showed any partiality towards any one.
In order to keep us together Father decided not to remarry. Being the oldest, I helped him out because the smaller children were feeling their mother’s absence. To my proposals that we seek justice against those who had killed our relatives, Father always helped us to forgive, explaining to us the significance of reconciliation.
He suggested to my brothers that they start a “club”, an association for young people that would promote peace and reconciliation. This club contributed to returning peace to people’s spirits in our Commune.
I live in Italy now. When spring arrived, I received news that he had been admitted to hospital, and I had the idea of writing to a few friends asking for their prayers. Then he was transferred to the intensive care unit, and I rushed back to Burundi, I found him suffering greatly. My brothers and sisters were doing everything they could for him. I thought about all the love he had for his children, the love that he showed to so many others, including those who had murdered our relatives. I remembered the Word of Life we were living: “For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away” (Mt. 13:12). And I remembered Jesus on the Cross.
On the day following my arrival Dad departed peacefully for Heaven. It was as if he had been waiting for me. Later as I was pondering over the words that the Archbishop had spoken during my father’s funeral – in which he recalled their conversations about reconciliation and peace – it was confirmed to me, as Chiara Lubich reminded us, that Heaven is a home we will live in up there, but that we build here on earth.”
Maria-Goretti (Burundi)
![Brazil, Priests and the Focolare]()
6 Nov 2012 | Focolare Worldwide
Following an invitation from the Nuncio, Mgr Joseph Spiteri, three focolarini from India, Marilu, Ala Maria and Rey, spent twelve days in Sri Lanka. They found a Focolare community that was small but full of life, despite the fact that it is nine years since the last visit – the terrible civil war, which has left marks that are still visible, only finished last year.
With the Cardinal of Colombo
Msgr. Malcolm Ranjith
During the visit it was possible to meet the Archbishop of Colombo, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, who met Chiara Lubich in the 70s and who is deeply interested in the Movement’s experience of inter-religious dialogue in India, and most especially of its ‘dialogue of life’.
This experience was also spoken about by Dr A. T. Ariyaratne, the Buddhist founder of the Gandhian Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement, which in Coimbatore last January received the ‘Defender of Peace’ prize, given in the past also to Chiara Lubich. Some of the people who work with him were extremely pleased to learn of the relationship between the Focolare and the Shanti Ashram in India and expressed the wish that something similar could happen with them in Sri Lanka.
A visit to Dr. A.T. Ariyaratne
A wonderful moment, full of a sense of family, took place in the meeting with the community of the Movement made up of 25 persons who met the Focolare many years ago and who still desire to live its spirituality. Here a few impressions. A former teacher said: ‘I am going through a difficult moment but, coming here, I have understood that I must be the first to love.’ A woman who came for the first time said, ‘Seeing you so happy cannot leave me indifferent. You have given me courage and I shall start living in the same way.’ And a nun said, ‘Hearing your experiences and seeing you so vibrant has reawoken me.’ Mgr Spiteri, who was also present, at the end of the meeting gave a blessing, saying, ‘Now we have come to know this life, above all in this year of faith, we must be living witnesses of the word.’
Another moment of light was with the bishop emeritus Nicholas Marcus Fernando who, after he had been told about the Focolare’s inter-religious work, said, ‘Love is what’s needed. Before I thought that it was goodness, but that is an abstract concept. You need love for dialogue and for everything.’
